The Covenant
by Empenship
Summary: When Dipper dies at the hands of a supernatural monster, Bill awaits him in the afterlife, promising him new life so long as he agrees to his terms: Dipper gets a chance to live again, but he has to destroy the journals, or he becomes a demon himself. Using his newfound demon abilities, Dipper begins to uncover the truth behind the journals—just in time for him to destroy them.
1. Chapter 1

**/ This story takes place after 'Sock Opera'. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gravity Falls.**

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><p>He could remember the feeling of falling.<p>

His body fell through the sky, his hands flailing, searching for something—_anything—_to grab onto. The clouds offered no comfort, allowing him to pass through without resistance. Below him, the earth surged towards him, Lake Gravity Falls being its only form of apology. Dipper hoped, yet he knew the lake would do nothing to stop his imminent death.

Thunder roared above him, ringing in his ears with each flap of two large, great wings of a bird of legend. The Thunderbird. It screeched, circling above him with pride. Dipper had caused it a lot of trouble the past few hours, and alas it had finally killed its prey.

Dipper closed his eyes as the earth approached.

Het hit the water, bouncing off the sand floor like a ragdoll.

And then . . .

And then . . .

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><p>There wasn't supposed to be an 'and then'.<p>

The world grayed around him as he floated to the surface, just on time for Mabel to arrive at the scene. Dipper wanted to scream at her, to tell her that he was still alive, but she couldn't hear him. No one could.

He had often wondered what would happen if he were to die. As Mabel wailed on the sand, falling to her knees when their buckling became too much, Dipper understood. He understood that he didn't want to die, or to see the ones he cared about hurt because of him. He wanted a way out—a way to escape death.

Just so he could tell her that everything was going to be okay.

"Now, that's a lot to take in, isn't it, Pine Tree?"

He didn't need to turn around. Only one person—or demon—referred to him by that name. A demon that had done more bad in his life than good.

"Bill?"

"Welcome to Limbo!" Bill exclaimed. Dipper looked around, gaze finally landing on the triangular demon. Other than Dipper himself, Bill was the only other colorful object in his vision. And the only other thing that could hear him.

It was just the two of them.

"Limbo?"

"The land between life and death! Heaven and Hell! Where we meet until your soul is freed forever! Not that bad, huh?"

"I just died. It's not very good."

"Death isn't permanent," Bill said sourly.

"So what? I can come back to life?" Dipper's eyes narrowed. "What are you playing at, Bill?"

"I'm not playing at anything at all! In fact, this happens to every single human that's ever died! Or, every human with ambition. Turns out there are a lot of those."

"What—"

"You seem confused, so I'll get to the point: you've died young with ambition. And so, you're being given an opportunity to live again. All you have to do is make a deal."

Dipper crossed his arms over his chest. "Last time I made a deal with you, you possessed my body. I can't trust you."

"Then I'll be completely honest with you. I want to destroy those journals, and without a vessel, I can't do that. Look at your family, Dipper—do you _really _want to see them upset? Depressed? Hating themselves because they couldn't stop it? It's _just not like you _to let them down like this, _Dipper_."

Dipper covered his ears and shut his eyes as tight as he could. "Shut up!" he shouted, shivers crawling up his spine. "Just shut up!"

"You're desperate!" Bill said, leaning in towards Dipper. His arm burned with blue flame. "You can stop this, all of this!"

With a wave of his hand, he brought Dipper beside Mabel, who had since abandoned her shoes and socks to swim in the lake toward his body. She didn't stop even as Stan called her name over and over, begging her to come back to shore. Dipper turned away.

"Fine, I'll—I'll do it," he said. Bill appeared in front of him, flaming hand outstretched.

"Deal?"

Dipper shook his hand.

"Deal."

Flames ignited around him, encircling him in blue fire. Bill was sucked into Dipper's body, burning the flames brighter and brighter until the engulfed him and they were all he could see and they burned him and—

Dipper gasped, eyes snapping open.

The sky was blue above him. Clouds floated lazily across the sky, blocking out the sun in their prime. When they didn't, the sun hurt his eyes, so much so that he had to squint to see. And yet, despite the warm Oregon sun, he was cold.

He wiggled his fingers, feeling the watery sensation pass over his skin. Then he twisted his body and the water moved through his clothes, turning his skin cold in its wake. He closed his eyes, feeling as though he could lay there forever, peaceful and free of worries.

A person shook him violently, shouting his name. "Dipper! Dipper!"

He turned to face the voice. A pair of wide, glassy eyes looked down on him, their owner bearing a smile so wide he could barley resist one himself.

"Mabel?"

It was as though the world had finally allowed him some space. He pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around his sister and crying. Nothing hurt and that was what hurt him the most.

"Your eyes!" Mabel said, pulling out of Dipper's grasp. She stared intensely in them, touching his face with her hands in disbelief.

"My eyes? What's wrong with them?"

"They're yellow," she replied, eyes wide.

"Yellow?" Dipper felt his face, rubbing his eyes.

_It's part of the deal, kid. If you've got a demon soul, your looks are going to change. Did I forget to mention that?_

_Oh, so you can talk to me, too? Great._

_Hey! Watch who you're speaking to! I could bail out of this agreement right now, and then you'd turn into a demon yourself! _

_That doesn't make sense. If you bail, that takes the demon _out _of me. I'd just become human again. _

_Ha-ha! You're funny, Pine Tree, acting like you know the rules! All your logic must be messing with your head! Tell me: what's so logical about coming back to life?_

_Not much, I guess. _

_Exactly! I may be the demon here, but you're well on your way! If you die or break the deal, you become a demon, forced to rely on deals and pacts to survive! We have to come from somewhere!_

_Wait—you were a human before? A living, breathing person? _

_How do you think you get a demon named Bill? Man, you _are _slow! And here I was, thinking you were smart. _

_I'm smart! I can do math, and science, and I know how to use a—_

"Dipper?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, Mabel. Can we swim back to shore now? I think I need to go to the hospital."

"But you have no injuries."

_Full regeneration. Covenants are just full of surprises!_

_Covenant? _

_It's the fancy word for the bring-a-human-back-to-life deal. Get a dictionary. _

"Can we just go back to shore?"

_You should just teleport back to shore. Did I tell you limited demon powers are included?_

_Yeah, I'm going to wait on that one._

_You're boring._

Mabel grabbed him by the underarms, kicking her legs to bring them back to shore. Dipper attempted to reassure her that he could, in fact, swim, but she refused and said he had nearly died because of her, so she was going to be doing the work for the next while. Dipper didn't complain. He didn't say anything.

Mabel said he had _nearly _died. She _must _have seen him falling from the sky, and if she hadn't, then the rest of Gravity Falls did. The Thunderbird had dropped him from higher than the skyline during daytime. Anyone outside at the time would have seen him falling from the sky, screaming in vain as his life flashed before his eyes.

That was a misstatement. His life had never flashed before his eyes—he never got to remember his first year of middle school, or his first Halloween with Mabel. He didn't get to remember anything, and even though he had been revived, he felt as though he was cheated out of something. Like dying should have had more allure, instead of simply seeing the world and then nothing. Or, in his case, seeing the world, nothing, and then the world again.

_When you get back, you might want to sleep. _

_What? Why? I _literally _just came back to life. I feel like I could stay awake for days._

_Actually, as a demon, you never feel tired! But seriously—if you want this Covenant to succeed, you have to sleep within the hour._

_Or what? I'll die?_

_Exactly. _

Mable pulled him onto the soft sand of the beach, letting him go to turn to Stan. He wished he could have seen Stan's initial reaction when Mabel announced that Dipper was alive, but he was too busy standing up and ignoring Bill, who was trying to convince him to play dead as some sort of sadistic joke.

As soon as he was on two feet, a large pair of grizzly arms threw themselves around him, hugging him so tight he could barely breathe. He stiffened, suddenly afraid of what would happen if Stan were to see his eyes. Or find out that he had been mystery hunting again. Or chasing large, thunder-creating birds of legend. He would be grounded, or sent back home, never to return back to Gravity Falls again. He didn't know if he could handle that. Especially since his humanity depended upon it.

Stan couldn't look him in the eyes. If he did, he would know something was amiss, and the Thunderbird hadn't snatched him from the ground as he planned on lying about. Assuming Mabel had yet to tell him, Dipper closed his eyes as the embrace ended. Grunkle Stan was to stay in the dark, even if it was for the rest of Dipper's life.

_Make me fall asleep._

_What makes you think I can do that, Pine Tree? I'm just a voice in your head._

_I've felt you snooping around my brain. Turn it off._

_What makes you think I'll let you wake up? Maybe I'll take control of your body and you'll be locked in your own mind, wondering why you ever chose to trust a demon in the first place._

_It would break the Covenant. You get to destroy the journals, and I get to live again in control of my own body. Now put me to sleep._

_Whatever you say, boss._

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><p>Grand, golden gears turned in front of Dipper as he woke. The floor beneath him was of hard wood, reverberating with each loud tick-tocking of a pendulum in the distance. He looked up, finding the source of the light: a circular window lined with numbers, dashes, and two hands moving every minute. The air smelt of dust and old books but also of iron, reminding him of his journal. For whatever reason, this golden landscape was where he was.<p>

He was inside of a clock.

"Bill?" he called, voice echoing throughout the structure. When no reply came, he began climbing upwards, towards the clock at the surface of the machine. One foot here, one hand there, and he found himself atop the flat of a spinning gear, turning slowly as he got a better view of the place. The clock was made up of gears and chains, all working up to the top. If he followed them, he could get to the top and maybe find the answers behind whatever lucid dream he was having.

He climbed up a loosely hanging chain, palms and fingers burning from the friction. As he did, two words repeated softly, ringing throughout the clockwork: "Pine Tree . . . Pine Tree . . . Pine Tree . . ."

"What do you want, Bill?" he shouted, struggling to pull himself onto a gear. As he did, he feel to his knees, panting from the effort. The pendulum stilled.

"I _want _to destroy those journals, but I can't do that while you're sleeping. So this is where we meet while the Covenant is being paused: your mind. Welcome, Dipper, because it may not be like this next time!"

"It's going to change every time? That's not fair!"

"You know what else isn't fair? Your existence. You should be dead, and yet you're alive."

"I thought this was natural!" he yelled, searching for another way to ascend the clock. There was none.

"The Covenant is, but now you aren't! You're half-demon, Pine Tree. One half physical world, one half dreamscape. Tonight is just the beginning of a long transmutation process!"

"You never said anything about my appearance changing!"

"You agreed to everything when you shook my hand! The only way to stop yourself from becoming a complete demon is by fulfilling the Covenant—are you willing to sacrifice your humanity to save yourself?"

"What—"

A force rushed through him, pulling him down onto the gear. The clock's hands above him became chaotic, turning every which way at a rapid pace. Beneath him gears and chains began crumbling, falling into a surging darkness below him.

Dipper screamed and then it was all over.

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><p>Wowie, first chapter done. A+ for shitty ending.<p>

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**/ This chapter is definitely slower than the last, but it's very important. Enjoy!**

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><p>He awoke with a start, gasping in cold sweat. The blankets over him provided comfort, reminding him of the covers he used in the Mystery Shack attic.<p>

When he looked around he realized that was exactly where he was. He sat up on his bed, rubbing his eyes. One he finished, he looked down at his hands. Yellow, thick liquid covered them, glimmering in the light from the window. Dipper touched his cheeks, feeling the liquid running from his eyes. It was warm, and that alone was enough to make him dash to the bathroom, trying to stop the yellow bleeding from his eyes.

As he stared in the mirror, he held his face with his hands, watching as the yellow liquid poured over his fingers and into the sink below. He ran his hands under water, desperately trying to wash it off his face.

It continued pouring, but soon it slowed, coming to an end. Dipper breathed out, his cheeks looking as though they had been painted in golden glitter. He took a washcloth and wiped away the remnants.

_Bill, what was that?_

_That was a little something called 'demonic discharge'! Don't worry—it's completely natural. _

_What is it?_

_Right now, your body is adjusting to the demon inside of you! Stuff like this is probably going to happen to you for the next while, but I'm sure you can handle it. _

Dipper fell against the bathroom door, sliding down to the floor. Anxiety spread through him, shaking his entire body. Then he cried.

The sobs were uncontrollable and silent. He did not want the others in the Mystery Shack to hear him, so he kept quiet, shuddering violently with each sob as he kept his mouth shut. Then, as his lips parted against his will, a single, piercing cry escaped. His hand shot to hit mouth, covering it as he closed his eyes, breathing out slowly. He just needed to calm down. Think logically. After all, emotions were just chemicals in his brain reacting to current events.

As his breathing slowed and the tears stopped, Dipper stood up, facing himself once again in the bathroom mirror. His eyes were puffy and red, glowing, yellow irises shining bright in the crimson.

He splashed water on his face once again and left the bathroom.

He had journals to destroy.

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><p>The journals were missing, of course.<p>

With only one in his possession, the offering was not enough to Bill, who said they needed to be together to be destroyed properly. The author had protected them with spells, sealing them off from usual means of destruction, like burning or shredding. While Dipper didn't know what to do, Bill did.

_Why are you so clueless? Use your demon powers to find them! You know, omniscience and the likes?_

_Omniscience?_

_It's limited, so watch it. You can see whatever you're looking for at the present time. Unlike me, who can name the time and date of your death anytime I please! Humor me—how long do you think you have left?_

_Didn't I just die yesterday? _

_Your mortality died, not your soul. I thought this would have been clear to you by now. But, then again, you never cease to amaze me with your stupidity! _

_Shut up. _

Then, Dipper concentrated hard, thinking of the two missing journals. Of their covers, their pages, of the hands on their fronts labeling their age. He thought of every aspect of them and an image popped in his head.

Suddenly, he was in another room. All was dark except for a desk lamp, illuminating exactly what he was looking for: the journals. Blueprints were printed across them, highlighted with red, decoding messages Dipper had never seen before in his own. These included copies of his own journal, and Dipper had never felt more insecure in his life.

It felt unreal. The floor was solid beneath him but that was not enough, and he craved sensation, because suddenly simply staring at the journals wasn't enough and he just wanted to _feel _something.

He reached forward, feeling the paper of the journals in his hand. He turned, observing the room before him. Machinery beeped and flickered, bringing life to the otherwise desolate room. He examined the desk, looking at the coffee cups, notes, and finally, a framed photo of him and Mabel.

The picture shattered as he touched it and Dipper awoke to reality.

_Uh-uh-uh, no picture touching! _

_What _was _that? How was I in the room?_

_That was omniscience. Your mind just created an artificial environment for you! If you hadn't touched that picture, you could have been stuck in there forever!_

_My mind made it. I should have been able to get out. _

_Did you know that's how a portion of Covenants fail? The human gets all cocky; they use their omniscience, and then get trapped in it! Be careful using your powers, Pine Tree. Do you really want to be locked in your own mind? _

"Dipper!"

As he turned, Mabel bounded into the bedroom, hugging him tight and mumbling into his shoulder. Dipper smiled, hugging her back.

Then she shoved him to the floor.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"What do you—"

"Don't play stupid—I know you died. _No one _could have survived that fall."

Dipper froze. He had yearned to protect her from his death—to protect her from what he had become and what he would have to do. But she already knew, and Dipper had underestimated her. She had seen his eyes in the lake. How could he have forgotten?

"Mabel, I'm fine. I didn't die."

"Yes you did! You're _lying _to me! What happened to being Mystery Twins, Dipper?" Mabel at down on the floor next to her, resting her chin in her palms and staring at the wooden floor sadly. "We're supposed to tell each everything."

Dipper sighed, rubbing his eyes. He turned to Mabel and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'll tell you, but you have to promise to keep it a secret. You can't tell Stan, or Soos, or Wendy, or even Grenda and Candy."

Mabel faltered, blinking as she thought. Then she nodded, promising to stay silent.

"It's something called a Covenant. When I died, I was given the chance to live again. All I have to do is destroy the journals."

"That sounds like a deal. Did you make a deal?"

"It's not a regular deal. If it's broken, there are consequences on both of us."

_You become a demon and I fade from existence! What will you do with all of eternity? After your friends and family die? After it becomes too much and you turn off your emotions and become a sadistic freak, just like me?_

"Is it Bill?"

Dipper blinked. His throat turned dry and he couldn't speak, even as Mabel stared him down. He looked away.

"It is! You made a deal with Bill so you could come back to life! Dipper, last time you did, he possessed you! Didn't you learn anything?"

"This deal is different, okay, Mabel?" Dipper picked at the end of his shirt, avoiding eye contact. He was so ashamed to admit what he had done and he didn't understand why. "I'm in control of my body. The only thing Bill can do is talk to me."

"Can he listen to us? Is he hearing everything we're saying _right now?"_

_Yes._

"No, he's not. He's stuck inside my head. He can't hear a thing."

"Are you sure talking to you is all he can do? What if one day you decide that you _don't _want to destroy the journals and he takes over?"

"First of all, that's not going to happen. If it means being alive again, I'm fine with destroying the journals. Second, that would break the Covenant—I'd turn into a demon and Bill would die."

"If you don't destroy the journals you become a demon? That's risky, Dipper. Too risky."

"It shouldn't take long. Once I have all three journals I just need to cast a spell and it's done. After that, Bill moves on and so do I. Just don't tell anyone, okay? Not even mom and dad."

"I promise. I'm also going to help," she declared. "What do we do first?"

_When are you going to tell her that I can hear? That I can see? That I did nothing as you cried, alone and afraid?_

_I don't want her upset because of me, okay?_

_You died because of her. I think she deserves to suffer a little. _

"The Covenant comes with demon powers. I used my omniscience this morning to find the missing journals, but they're in some room somewhere," Dipper explained. "I can't see anything outside of that room."

"Take me there."

"I don't think . . ." Dipper trailed off. What if he could?

_Bill?_

_I can't tell you everything, kid. You need to figure this one out for yourself! _

"Please?"

"Mabel, I almost got stuck in my mind when I used my omniscience this morning. I don't want you getting trapped in there," Dipper said, and stood up, offering a hand to Mabel. "Let me worry about that sort of thing. Everything else we'll do together. _I promise_."

"Fine," Mabel said, pouting her lip in annoyance. "Do you at least have _any _idea of where they are?"

"They were in a room," Dipper said. "They were spread out to reveal some kind of blueprints for a machine, but I don't know what it does, or what it is. There was also a picture."

"Of what? Maybe we could trace it back to someone, like if the picture was of—"

"Mabel, it was a picture of us."

Mabel's eyes widened in shock and Dipper felt his stomach heave. He slapped his hand over his mouth, trying to swallow the bile rising in his throat. It didn't work and his body lurched forward and Dipper vomited into his hand.

He removed his hand and looked at it. A golden, thick substance ran through his fingers, dripping to the floor. Dipper vomited again, this time emptying the discharge onto the floor of their bedroom, leaning over as his stomach churned painfully. Discharge rose in his throat until he choked on it, coughing as the discharge's swelling lowered. He gasped for air, begging for water as his throat burned.

Mabel rushed out of the room and Dipper fell to his knees, clutching his aching stomach and moaning aloud. Mabel returned with a glass of water and he drank it, feeling it drain the discharge from his throat and down into his stomach once again.

_That certainly seemed painful! A lot more than bleeding it out of your eyes, huh? _

_Not the time. _

_You know, I've tried entertaining myself with your memories, but your life is just _so _boring! At least you get to _live_! Talk to me, will you? It gets lonely up here._

_You've been looking through my memories? _

_Not only your memories. I now know everything about you, Pine Tree. I know how afraid you are of failing the people around you, and how being the 'smart one' is the only thing you have left. You know that everyone would think you making Covenant was a stupid decision, so you were perfectly fine with not telling anyone at all. You were going to destroy yourself before you_ dared_ to hurt anyone else. _

"That's not true!" Dipper shouted aloud. Mabel watched him curiously, and as she reached forward to comfort him, Dipper pulled back and ran out of the attic, slamming the door behind him.

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><p>Mabel pounded on the locked bathroom door, begging Dipper to open it.<p>

Dipper, however, was in another room.

He studied the framed photo of him and Mabel. He felt it, turning it over in his hands, trying to find some sort of date, or name. He carefully slid the picture out of the frame, observing it but not remembering when it had been taken. He flipped it over, looking at the white back of the photograph. Silver, cursive writing filled the bottom corner of the picture, reminding him of his mother's handwriting.

_**We took this picture at our cottage over spring break! They look forward to staying with you next summer! **_

Footsteps sounded just outside of the room, and Dipper instinctively put the picture back, though he knew his actions would not affect the real world. It was a force of habit.

The door creaked open, and in came the hulking, hunch-backed figure of Grunkle Stan.

His reality fell apart and Dipper opened his eyes to the bathroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**/ This chapter is a few hundred words shorter. Thank you for all the positive feedback!**

Dipper unlocked the door and swung it open.

"Mabel, we need to find Grunkle Stan. _Now_."

"What, why? Is he in trouble?"

Dipper grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the bathroom, telling her there was no time to explain and bounding down the stairs. When they entered the room, the gift shop was devoid of Stan, where he would usually be during work hours. On another day, Dipper would have assumed he was on a tour.

This time was different.

The register had no employee and Soos was nowhere to be seen. Wendy and Soos were missing, too, which was odd, even if it was a Saturday. Then it hit him and he grabbed Mabel's arm once again, leading her to the door of the Mystery Shack. "Wendy and Soos are outside! Come on!"

Mabel shook her arm free and stood her ground. Suspicion radiated off her in waves, and Dipper felt the urge to abandon her. She was slowing him down.

"How did you know they were outside?"

"Well, I just—" Dipper cut himself off, eyes widening as the question was answered in his head. "It was my omniscience. I mean, it's limited, so I only know what someone is doing at a present time. I guess I just kind of . . . knew?"

"Don't use that on me. Ever."

"Yeah, sure, Mabel. Can we just go outside now?"

"Fine."

Dipper threw the door open. Wendy and Soos stood outside, throwing acorns at Stan's car. The screen door closed behind Mabel and they whipped around, sighing in relief at the sight of them. Wendy threw an acorn at Dipper and he fumbled it, dropping it to the ground. Wendy and Soos booed at him.

"Come on, man," Wendy said, sliding up next to Dipper and throwing her arm over his shoulder. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing," Dipper lied, wiping away the small layer of sweat forming on his forehead. "Hey, have you guys seen Stan anywhere?"

"He's on that twelve o' clock break. You know, the one where he disappears all mysteriously and then comes back an hour later," Soos replied, wiggling his fingers for emphasis. Dipper forced himself to smile, and then explained that they wanted lunch when Wendy asked why.

Then Wendy nudged Soos and pointed to Dipper's eyes.

"Dude, what's up with your eyes?" Soos asked. "They're all yellow and glowy and stuff."

Dipper wanted to hit himself. How could he have forgotten to cover his demon eyes?

He wanted to tell them. He wanted to confess to what he had done right there and then, not caring about the consequences to follow. The Covenant wouldn't fail if he told two more people, right?

_You could tell the entire world as long as you completed your part of the Covenant! Besides, if anyone you don't want to know finds out, just wipe it from their memory! _

_I can do that?_

_There are a lot of things you can do now, Dipper. The mindscape has endless possibilities! _

He had sworn Mabel to secrecy, yet when the truth offered to be told, he wanted to tell it. Wendy and Soos were harmless, though he had doubts in Soos' abilities to keep a secret. Dipper shook his head suddenly, holding it in his hands. Soos had been with him since he had arrived in Gravity Falls. If there was anything he could trust him with, it was that.

And so, he came clean in the cleanest way possible.

The story was twisted. This time, however, he had merely made a deal to _save _his life, not to restore it. In their eyes, Dipper Pines had never died, and he was content with that idea. That way, if Soos ever did tell, no one would know that he had actually _died_.

That deal then landed him with demonic powers until he destroyed the journal. He was in control of his body, Bill wasn't in his mind, and there were no consequences whatsoever if the Covenant failed. Sure, it changed his appearance a little, but that would be going away once the succeeded in destroying the journals. It was an easy cover up for the big picture.

"So, yeah, my eyes are like this because I guess I have demon powers now."

"That's . . . " Wendy trailed off, and Dipper knew she was at loss for words. For an instant, her laid back façade fell and he saw her eyes tear up, but she wiped away whatever emotion had been showing and reverted back to her usual self. ". . . pretty cool, actually."

"It is?" Dipper asked, bewildered. He could feel the heat in his cheeks as he thought about it. He had expected her to be more, well, terrified.

But then he saw her take out her phone. In that moment, the security of the situation melted away and Dipper concentrated, lifting an arm to Wendy and Soos. Maybe it was just paranoia. Maybe he was just overreacting. Maybe he could trust them with what was becoming his darkest secret.

"Sorry."

At that, he threw his arm down, and their memories were gone.

* * *

><p>"What was<em> that<em>, Dipper?" Mabel demanded, slamming the attic door shut. Her face was red with anger, reminding him of a tomato in a way that was almost cute.

Mabel, however, was _terrifying _when she was angry.

"I panicked, okay? I just—I didn't want them being freaked out by me. You know how they reacted when they saw my eyes!"

"But they didn't _care_! We didn't even get to find Grunkle Stan! You didn't even tell me _why_!"

Dipper fell silent.

His throat formed a wall and no words could come out. His mind felt heavy and he knew that if he couldn't shake it off soon, he would bound to have another panic attack like he had that morning in the bathroom.

So, knowing actions spoke louder than words, Dipper touched Mabel's shoulder and brought her to the mysterious room where the journals were held by using his omniscience.

Mabel gasped at the sight, falling back into Dipper. Grunkle Stan was nowhere to be seen, yet the journals and pictures still sat peacefully on the desk. Dipper helped Mabel stand and showed her the picture of them, taking it out of the frame and reading the message aloud to her.

"You don't mean—"

"This is where Grunkle Stan hides off to. Not only does he have the first two journals, but he also has photocopies of _my _journal. He has the complete set, Mabel, and I don't even know why!"

"He's been lying to us this entire time?" Mabel breathed, eyes wide with betrayal. She looked so hurt that he wanted to undo it all—he wanted to make her forget about the Covenant and Stan. Yet, for whatever reason, he couldn't bring himself to erase her memories, even as tears sprung from her eyes. His hand was raised at her, but he lowered it just as she finally noticed him.

She snatched his wrist and stared him dangerously in the eye.

"Did you just try to erase my memory?"

"I—"

"Dipper!" Mabel shouted, pushing him. Dipper stumbled back, catching his balance at the desk. "You tried to erase _my _memory? I'm your _sister_! We're supposed to be _Mystery Twins_!"

The room seemed to vibrate in Dipper's vision and he leaned on the desk for support. His head throbbed and he could barely think clearly, as though something was blocking his mind.

Then Mabel was gone and he was in another room.

The gift shop, to be specific. Wendy stood behind the desk but didn't see him, even as he knocked over a display of postcards. They fluttered to the floor gracefully, but their pictured sides faced him, and all he saw was a demon with dark, curly hair. Its skin was gray, its teeth sharp, and it had ears that poked out from under a white and blue hat with a pine tree on it.

The room darkened and the next flickered into view. Dipper recognized the room, yet he couldn't put a name to it. He snuck around, peeking at books and looking out the window. A desk lamp turned on at the other side of the room, illuminating a dollhouse that resembled the Mystery Shack. Dipper strode closer, and with better examination, concluded that it was the Mystery Shack. Heads had been torn off dolls and thrown on the floor and Dipper then knew exactly where he was: he was in Gideon's bedroom.

Gideon was in prison but the room hadn't changed at all. Clothes were sprawled over the floor, the bed was unmade, and it looked as though not a single soul had stepped foot in the room since his arrestment.

_I remember this room. I mean, sneaking into his room wasn't part of the deal, but I just couldn't help myself! _

_Why am I teleporting everywhere? What's going on, Bill?_

_You lost focus. Unless you can get it back, you'll be teleporting in your omniscience for the next while. Have fun! _

_You are absolutely _no _help, you know that? _

He blinked and then he was in a sheltered, barred off cube-of-a-place. Lockers lined the walls and police officers sat passively at the table in the center of the room, playing cards with one another. Dipper observed the lockers, reading the names plated on them in capitalized bold print. He recognized the names of well-known frauds and murderers—maybe it was their locker room.

The cops began complaining.

"Man, don't you just _hate _working evidence?" one asked, shuffling the deck of cards and distributing them equally among the four other police officers seated at the table.

"Not _nearly _as bad as working guard duty. The prisoners are _creepy_."

One laughed loudly, saying between his cackles, "Like that Gideon kid?"

Dipper perked up. He'd known Gideon was in prison, but if this was a _whole _other story. Dipper searched the lockers quickly, finally coming across one that read: **GLEEFUL, GIDEON. **

Gideon's evidence locker. A padlock was secured on the door and wouldn't budge, even as Dipper pulled on it violently. Sheer force wasn't working, so he turned to Bill.

_Is there anyway I can break this? Like, with demon powers or something?_

_I'm not an encyclopedia, Pine Tree. _

_But you _are _an all-knowing demon. _

_I'm an all-knowing demon that could break this Covenant right now. Don't try to manipulate me. _

_What if I said 'please'? Would you _please _tell me what to do?_

Bill remained silent for a few moments. Then, he caved in.

_You have limited telekinesis. Use it to break the lock. _

Dipper concentrated on the lock but it wouldn't budge. He squinted his eyes, waved his hands in ridiculous motions, and even commanded it to move out loud. The lock stayed perfectly still and Dipper wanted to hit it.

An idea popped in his mind. He imagined the lock moving, and as he imagined, it happened to the lock in the artificial reality. When he imagined it breaking, the lock broke, and Dipper let out a squeak of joy he would then refuse to tell anyone about in his life.

He threw open the locker and began looking through it. Pins, outfits, and finally, a rolled sheet of paper. Dipper unrolled it on the floor below him, grinning widely as its contents sunk in.

The blueprints to the Mystery Shack. And, on them, a hidden room just beneath the gift shop.

The evidence room turned to white and Dipper blinked rapidly as the attic came back into view. Mabel watched over him worriedly, demanding if he was okay the moment he showed signs of consciousness. Dipper assured her that he was okay and sat up, realizing that he was on the floor. His head swam but one image stayed: the blueprints to the Mystery Shack.

He stood up abruptly, aware of what they would have to do.

"Mabel, we're breaking into the Gravity Falls Maximum Security Prison."


End file.
